— confinable, confineable , adj. — confineless , adj. — confiner , n.
/keuhn fuyn"/ for 1, 2, 5, 6; /kon"fuyn/ for 3, 4 , v. , confined, confining , n.
v.t.
1. to enclose within bounds; limit or restrict: She confined her remarks to errors in the report. Confine your efforts to finishing the book.
2. to shut or keep in; prevent from leaving a place because of imprisonment, illness, discipline, etc.: For that offense he was confined to quarters for 30 days.
n.
3. Usually, confines . a boundary or bound; limit; border; frontier.
4. Often, confines . region; territory.
5. Archaic. confinement.
6. Obs. a place of confinement; prison.
[ 1350-1400 for n.; 1515-25 for v.; (n.) ME confins, confines confinia, pl. of L confinis boundary, border (see CON-, FINE 2 ); (v.) confiner, v. deriv. of confins ]
Syn. 1. circumscribe.
Ant. 1, 2. free.